04/28/2026
Last month, Dasha Dubinina (Medill ’28) attended the McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character, in West Point, New York, where she met top undergraduates from across the globe to learn from mentors, bolster leadership skills, and foster collaboration.
With support from the US Military Academy and the Office of Fellowships, Dasha had a transformative experience at the conference:
“The McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character was one of the most formative experiences of my life. I’ll admit that I didn’t expect a conference to open with the 6 am workouts. But that choice said everything about what those days would demand: showing up fully, despite the discomfort.
The centerpiece of the program was mentorship with senior fellows, so I had the privilege of being paired with Holly Ridings, NASA’s first female chief flight director. What struck me most wasn’t any single conversation, but a realization that the leaders I admired most here led through their story rather than work titles. They could articulate why their work mattered—to their teams, to the mission, to something larger than themselves.
I’m leaving West Point more committed than ever to building the capacities that make that kind of leadership possible: resilience under uncertainty, openness to hard feedback, and the discipline to make decisions that are strategic, not just reactive.”
In the first photo, you can see Dasha posing with Holly Ridings, and in the second photo, she poses with Bob McDonald, the founding benefactor of the conference.
In the final photo, you can see Dasha posing with several participants in the conference.
It gives us tremendous to see our develop such profound skills and perspectives! 🌎🇺🇸
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